Adjustable vee bearing

ABSTRACT

An adjustable Vee bearing wherein a bearing defined axis may be adjusted within the bearing itself.

United States Patent Cupler, II July 25, 1972 54] ADJUSTABLE VEE BEARING 3,537,762 11/1970 Lodige ..30s/3 R 99,315 2/1870 Heermance ..15l/24 [72] Inventor: John A. Cupler, II, 10 Cupler Dnve- 936,549 10/1909 Lundholm ..151/24 L N1,C bl d,Md.21502 a N 1,111,732 9/1914 Breauh ....1s1/24 [22] Filed: May 5, 1970 1,324,061 12/1919 Nelson"... ....l51/24 [21] Appl.No.: 34,787 2, 16,475 11/1952 Koza ...15l/24 OTHER PUBLICATIONS F16: 23/02 1 16c 29/10 Product Engmeenng, V24, N8, Aug. 1953, P. 186- 191. [58] Field ofSearch ..308/36,37,63,73,3R,3A; Jewemearmgs 5 ,2 Primary ExaminerMartin P. Schwadron 56] References Cited Assistanl Examiner-B. G. Rossman Auomey-Colton & Stone UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,472,704 10/1969 Watson etal ..308/241 [57] ABSTRACT 2,812,221 11/1957 Cup er An adjustable Vee bearing whereinabearing defined axis may 5,223,23 /133g gramme be adjusted within the bearing itself.

eomans 3,106,117 10/1963 Duquesnel ..308/3 A l0Cla1ms,5Drawing Figures PATENIEDJUL 25 Ian FIG. 3

INVENTOR JOHN A. CUPLEE, II

FIG. 5

ADJUSTABLEVEE BEARING BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional Vee bearings, by definition, provide spaced pairs of line contact bearings against which a semi-cylindrical area of the cylindrical surface or surfaces of a'workpiece or tool is biased for rotation and/or reciprocating irifeedingmotion relative thereto. The pair spacing is along the axis of the workpiece or tool and the'line contactrbearings of each'gpair are spaced less than 180 about the cylindricalsurface of the workpiece or tool which will bebiased thereagainst, i.e. each pair bears against the same semi-cylindricalsui'face area of the journalled cylindrical surface. Accordingly, "rotation .or reciprocation of the workpiece or tool will necessarily='occur about or along an axis concentric with the cylindrical surface subject only to the requirement that the cylindrical surface be maintained in constant engagement with 'the =line contact bearings. The universally recognized advantagein the use of Vee bearings is that they are a fixed part of a static machining support and will always define precisely the same :axis-for a tool or workpiece having a common diameter thus eliminating the introduction of those positioning errors which arenecessarily associated with the chucking and unchueking of tools or workpieces. A more complete description of theadvantages inherent in the use of Vee bearings via-a-vis conventional chucks may be found in US. Pat. No. 3,478,419.

As will be readily understood from a perusal of the aforementioned patent it is virtually impossibleto introduce any positioning error into a Vee bearing support except for that which may gradually occur over a long period of time asthe bearings wear. An earlyattempt to combat this problem is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 2,812,221 wherein jewel inserts are .provided in the line contact area. Inasmuch as diamonds cannot be practically shaped in the mannerproposedzin the last mentioned patent, the use of those jewel inserts, such.assa phires, represented nothing more than a prolongation ofthat period during which a particular Vee bearing could be used necessary'toattempt toachieve-desired relative relationship of I "parts *by the'jrelatively .coarse positioning which may be before it must be discarded. It is not a sufficient answer that -a I journalled workpiece or tool may only wear a slight indentation in a jewel insert because, in the small and microscopic world of precision microdrilling and machining such as in the range below 0.0000050 inch; any change, however slightyin the line contact is magnified through the lever :arm represented by the workpiece or tool and though'suchchange would probably never be visible to the naked eye it cannot be tolerated in precision microdrilling or machining of thetype hereincontemplated. Additionally, theflushrelationship of the jewels relative to their mounting pedestalsasshown-in US. Pat. No..2,8l2,22l causes the tool spindle to engage the pedestal as soon as the inserts start to wear. Even if diamonds could be shaped in such a manner as that specifically'proposed in the aforesaid patent the accuracy of a machining operation would still be totally dependent upon the relativepositioning of the tool and workpiece which represents an area ofprecision adjustment which has never been attempted via .the bearings themselves. Stated differently, it has always been assumed that the ultimate in precision machining could be achieved by the provision of a fixedtool or=workpieceaxis which always defines precisely the same centerline subject only to the requirement of a uniformity of interchanged tool or workpiece diameter. This is the known advantage of Vee bearings as contrasted with chucks. Even, "however, when a perfectly reproducible centerline is assured, for'ei'ther the tool or workpiece; this can give no assurance that the relative angular relationship-between the'tool'and workpiece are of a desired value. Stated differently, the use of Veebearings-will insure that more than one tool or workpiece will assume the same centerline relative to the other but they will not,for example, insure that the toolcenterline is precisely perpendicular to a flat workpiece surface; rather, the -Vee hearings will only insure that if the first tool is not perpendicularly related to the workpiece the next interchanged tool will be similarly achieved'by movement of afixed'support'relative to the 'Vee bearings. "Again,-.in-any"but"the1nicroscopic world, the usual :precisionadjusting-methodswould"be' more than satisfactory; howeveribacklash alone,-:even in -a"fine ly-fthreaded screwused to reposition relatively massive equipment; introduces: totally unacceptable errors in many types of microdrilling operations.

SUMMARY. OF THE INVENTION The invention is directedto'a-newconcept in tooland workapiece, positionment; that of theadjustable'veebearing'Coarse adjustments of the relativeypositions of atooLand-workpiece .may be-made in a conventional manner and,thereafter,-an adjustment of 'the tool working -.end,r for sexample; maybe -.effected within the 'bean'ngitself 'without the introduction of backlash "becauseof the extremely -slight mass of .the tool. Although'closely related to theaforesaid relative positionment concept, a totally distinctpurpose'is to.compensate' for wear in .a'jewel'bearing, otherthana diamond,' to-again achieve 'the precise centerline which wasinitially defined by the unworn bearing inserts.

"The invention further .contemplatesa manner in which diamond inserts may be, practically used as the jewel insert and such inserts doxnot, of :course, ever-require:repositioning .to compensate for wear since diamonds are not subjectto wear by their bearing engagement witha tool or workpiece.

iBasically, the 1 invention contemplates .the use of jewels, preferably .diamonds, wherein oneesurface of eachjewel has been lapped perfectly flat:and"fitted within: the counterbored .end'ofafinelypitched setscrew-tandvwhereint the lapped surtface'protrudesbeyond -and is,:.perpendiculari to the axis of the wsetscrewj'Four of theseiset screws are then threaded intocorrespondinglyithreaded openings. in a support structure taprovide spaced .pairs: of line.contact"bearingswhereupon an *adjustable Vee 'bearing-is'defined.i'l heccalibrationor positioning on the setascrews: to achieve .a-peffect'relationship of' the tool relative to aworkpiece may. thenbe carried out ima-rconven- :tional manner and the jewel bea'ringzsetscrews locked-in place "by 1 amappropriate .adhesive -.inthe case of .fdiamond inserts where further adjustment 'willrneverbe required or'byinter- :sectingset screws in'the caserof other jewel inserts which must .occasionally bereadjustedto. compensate forwear.

-. Although the following.descriptionrelates to -a tool-which is :mounted forbothrotation'aandreciprocation-within thebearing; ia-is .apparentthatttools -or workpieces*having other crosssectional .shapespsuchras triangular. for examplegmaywbemonrotatably supported on the bearing for'reciprocalmovement.

IDESCRIFTION .OFTHE'DR'AWING I IDESCRIP'llON'OETl-IE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 'ln FIG. -'l *isfragmentaiily illustrated a typical Vee type 'drilling'machine F10 employing a jeweled. 'Vee "bearing .12 defined'by-two pairs of spaced jewels 14 against which-is biased the spindle 16 of drill 18 by a driven flexible belt. 20. Drill. l8 is'illustrated in position to machine a workpiece 22. in FIG. 2'is illustrated the linecontact between the flat surfaces 24 of one pair of jewel inserts and the circumference of spindle*I6.'Each jewel is lapped. until surface-24 is perfectly out of perpendicular relationship. Thus,.conventional ly, it is :75 'flat and is then'mounted in thecounterboredend of setscrew 26 with the flat surface perpendicular to the axis of the set screw. Any desired conventional mounting arrangement may be utilized to fix the jewel within the counterbored set screw, the arrangement shown utilizing adhesive composition 28 in conjunction with a staking over of the upper end of counterbored wall 30 onto a peripheral radiused portion 32 of the jewel. Conventional jewelry soldering may also be used, if desired. Assuming, first, the use of jewel inserts other than diamonds such as sapphires, for example. Over a period of time flat surface 24 will be worn away and an indentation 34 will appear in all four of the inserts so that the centerline of the tool will have shifted as the transition from a line contact bearing to a surface contact bearing occurs concomitant with the formation of the indentations. FIG. 4 illustrates this wear pattern wherein it may be seen that a spindle 16 was initially in line bearing contact with flat surface 24 of the insert and, thereafter, assumed a surface bearing contact with indentation 34 with the shift of centerline being equal to the distance 36, assuming that all inserts wear equally. Although the transition from line to surface contact at the bearing surfaces can be tolerated, the shift of centerline cannot. Accordingly, at this point in time, locking set screws 38 are backed off and set screws 26 are advanced until the indented surfaces again define the previous centerline. The manner in which this calibration may be effected is the same as that which will be described below in connection with the initial precise positionment of diamond inserts.

In the case of a diamond insert, no wear will occur and the flat surfaces 24 will, forever, define an axis of tool rotation by line, as opposed to surface, contact bearings. Nevertheless, it is necessary to initially insure that the tool assumes the precise desired relationship to a workpiece 22. Assuming that it is desired to position the tool at a precise right angle to the workpiece; it is self evident that, in the construction of the machine and its work support table, an effort will have been made to achieve this result however because of the relatively large masses involved this is seldom achieved with absolute precision. The invention makes it possible to achieve this result by an adjustment within the bearing itself where only very small masses (the set screw and tool) are involved.

One conventional method of determining whether a tool is perpendicular to a workpiece is illustrated in FIG. wherein a gauging scribe 38 including a dummy spindle 40 having the same diameter as that of a tool to be supported in the Vee bearing 12 is supported in the bearings by a flexible drive belt (not shown). After placing the gauging scribe in the bearings, a conventional feeler gauge 42 such as that manufactured by the L. S. Starrett Company, Athol, Massachusetts under model designation 7l l-F is fixedly positioned in any desired manner with the infeed arm 44 in light contact with the upper end of dummy spindle 40 to give a reading on indicator 46 other than zero while scribe point 48 is in light contact with flat surface 50 of workpiece 22. As the dummy spindle 40 is slowly rotated, any variation between the axis defined by Vee bearing 12 and a perpendicular to workpiece surface 50 will, of course, be reflected on indicator 46 as the pressure contact with scribe point 48 varies during its 360 rotation. As the scribe point is slowly rotated and a discrepancy is noted, set screws 26 are adjusted in or out until a complete 360 rotation of the scribe point does not deflect indicator pointer 52 at which time the tool has been adjusted to be perfectly perpendicular to the work surface and set screws 26 may be locked in place and, in the case of diamond inserts, they will never again require further adjustment.

I claim:

1. An adjustable Vee bearing, comprising; spaced pairs of discrete bearing elements presenting flat bearing surfaces diverging in a common direction from a common axis defining an open bearing for simultaneous bearing contact with the same semi-cylindrical surface area of a rotating cylindrical part to define a rotational axis therefor, and means for moving selected ones of said bearing elements toward and away from said axis to define different rotational axes for said rotating 811. p 2. The bearing of claim 1 wherein said discrete bearing elements include jewels.

3. The bearing of claim 2 wherein said jewels are diamonds.

4. The bearing of claim 1 wherein said means include threaded elements.

5. The bearing of claim 4 wherein said bearing elements comprise jewels and said jewels are fixedly mounted to said threaded elements.

6. The bearing of claim 5 wherein the threaded elements and jewels are mounted for adjustment within a fixed support structure, and means for locking said threaded elements relative to said support structure.

7. The bearing of claim 6 wherein said last named means includes threaded elements threadediy received within said support structure for axial locking movement along a path intersecting said first named threaded elements.

8. The bearing of claim 1 wherein said means include threaded elements, said bearing elements comprise jewels and said jewels are fixedly mounted to said threaded elements and project beyond the ends thereof.

9. The bearing of claim 8 wherein the projecting portion of the jewels comprises a central section providing the flat bearing surface and a peripheral section defining an acute angle to the central section.

10. The bearing of claim 8 wherein said threaded elements are arranged to move said jewels along an axis intersecting the first named rotational axis. 

1. An adjustable Vee bearing, comprising; spaced pairs of discrete bearing elements presenting flat bearing surfaces diverging in a common direction from a common axis defining an open bearing for simultaneous bearing contact with the same semicylindrical surface area of a rotating cylindrical part to define a rotational axis therefor, and means for moving selected ones of said bearing elements toward and away from said axis to define different rotational axes for said rotating part.
 2. The bearing of claim 1 wherein said discrete bearing elements include jewels.
 3. The bearing of claim 2 wherein said jewels are diamonds.
 4. The bearing of claim 1 wherein said means include threaded elements.
 5. The bearing of claim 4 wherein said bearing elements comprise jewels and said jewels are fixedly mounted to said threaded elements.
 6. The bearing of claim 5 wherein the threaded elements and jewels are mounted for adjustment within a fixed support structure, and means for locking said threaded elements relative to said support structure.
 7. The bearing of claim 6 wherein said last named means includes threaded elements threadedly received within said support structure for axial locking movement along a path intersecting said first named threaded elements.
 8. The bearing of claim 1 wherein said means include threaded elements, said bearing elements comprise jewels and said jewels are fixedly mounted to said threaded elements and project beyond the ends thereof.
 9. The bearing of claim 8 wherein the projecting portion of the jewels comprises a central section providing the flat bearing surface and a peripheral section defining an acute angle to the central section.
 10. The bearing of claim 8 wherein said threaded elements are arranged to move said jewels along an axis intersecting the first named rotational axis. 